“Audio” or “talking” books are an important alternative format to print for providing access to books of all types for print-disabled persons who cannot read conventional print books due to a visual, physical or learning disability.
An audio or talking book is typically created in the following way: the contents of a print document, in its entirety or abridge, is usually read by a professional or a volunteer and recorded on a medium appropriate for distribution, such as a tape cassette or a CD.
With recent improvements in digital memory devices, the audio book industry now uses low cost digital media such as Flash memory devices for storing their products. For example, international patent application published under no. WO 2004/080150 describes a book reading apparatus which is able to receive audio files either through a wireless connection or through a standard digital memory device such as a compact flash card. The use of “off-the-shelf” memory cards is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,399 (BORSUK) and published U.S. patent application No. US 2006/0069456 (STRINGER et al.).
Alternatively, published U.S. patent application No. US 2005/0276570 (REED Jr. et al.) discloses an audio book system wherein the digital book recordings are provided on a memory card shaped and sized as a credit card. A player with a suitably-sized slot is provided for reading these cards.
As mentioned above, recorded audio books are often used by individuals who either cannot read traditional printed books due to a visual impairment or learning disability or cannot manipulate paper documents due to physical disabilities. A significant issue for these readers of digital audio books is the manipulation of standard digital storage media. Such media are usually small in size, with a length and width of the order of a few centimeters and can be as thin as 1 mm in thickness. They can be very difficult to locate and handle for visually impaired users, and the absence of tactile markings complicates their proper insertion into a corresponding player. For a physically disabled user, picking up a standard digital memory card and inserting it in a player can be impossible.
There is therefore a need for a digital audio book player system adapted for use by visually impaired, physically disabled or learning disabled users or the like.